Arts Plus.

Magical `Efx' Out-vegases Las Vegas

April 16, 1995|By Gary Dretzka, Tribune Staff Writer.

LAS VEGAS — After surveying the watery catacombs of the Paris Opera for nearly four years, the Phantom has come to the desert.

In a town that never tires of topping itself, Michael Crawford has undertaken one of the most ambitious-and physically taxing-entertainment projects on the boards today. He is the star and major drawing card of "EFX," the music-and-magic extravaganza now in previews at the MGM Grand, the world's largest hotel-casino.

Bathed in a cloud of fog that could shut down San Francisco, Crawford plays EFX Master, a majestic character who guides the audience through nearly two hours of high-tech illusions, visual effects, pyrotechnics, circus acts, dance and cutting-edge theatrical technology. He also must switch costumes to portray Merlin, P.T. Barnum, Harry Houdini and H.G. Wells, in elaborate journeys through time.

Like many of the productions filling showrooms on the Strip these days, "EFX" is a totally over-the-top, thrill-a-minute experience that variously will inspire awe, wonder and stunned incredulity. As such, it joins other only-in-Vegas attractions-including Cirque du Soleil's "Mystere" and "Siegfried & Roy"-that have had permanent homes created for them by casinos, in hopes that family audiences and other tourists with deep pockets ($65.50 a ticket) will be drawn to their surrealistic charms.

Hyperbole and superlatives fill the air here, but the MGM Grand has backed up its boasts with a spectacle that often defies description.

At $41 million, and counting, "EFX" could be the most expensive theatrical presentation in history.

The kinks are still being worked out of the massive production, so audiences are warned in advance that the show may come to a grinding halt if any of the machinery fails to perform. On Wednesday, the action stopped three times but was quickly resumed, and the good-natured crowd endured the interruptions like real troupers.

It would be premature and unfair to review a work in progress, but a sneak preview was allowed and-for those planning a spring trip to Nevada-this much can be told.

The energetic cast of 70 singers, dancers and acrobats keeps the huge stage and ramps of the cavernous 1,700-seat Grand Theatre in a constant state of motion. For his part, Crawford sets a new standard for courage in the defense of his art, as he must belt out several numbers while being swung above the 108-foot stage on a giant hydraulic lift-a task that combines surfing with singing.

Special-effects set pieces involve volcanoes that devour temples, space stations that drop from the sky, fire-breathing dragons and a forest that mimics the seasonal change from winter to spring. Characters appear out of thin air with regularity and disappear just as quickly.

There's an exuberant "intergalactic circus," and the "EFX" creators have actually come up with a 3-D segment that is good enough to make you forget you're wearing those ridiculous glasses.

The musical choices range from the near operatic, through movie-soundtrack grandiosity, and on to emotional ballads clearly inspired by Andrew Lloyd Webber. (Pop culture footnote: Don Grady, Robbie of the '60s TV sitcom "My Three Sons," is music director.)

There's never any doubt that this is a Las Vegas show, but the Broadway influence can be felt throughout. Theoni Aldredge's costumes are a constant source of delight; the lighting, by Natasha Katz, complements the special effects and illusions; and the large-scale production numbers are choreographed by Anthony Van Laast with New York flair.

The producers of "EFX" clearly have a way to go before they can expose the show to the full glare of critics and customers who may not have the patience of preview audiences. But Crawford is signed up for the long haul-he has committed to two years with the show-so MGM's investment appears to be in good hands.